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'Scream 3' Remains No. 1

By:
Martin Grove
Jul 31, 2001

Dimension Films' "Scream 3" made the weekend's biggest waves at the box office, holding on to first place despite 20th Century Fox's strong launch for Leonardo DiCaprio's "The Beach."
"Scream 3" took a hefty second weekend drop but still sliced off an estimated $16.40 million (-53%) at 3,467 theaters (theater count unchanged, $4,730 per theater). Its total is approximately $57.1 million.
In December 1997, "Scream 2's" second weekend gross of $13.9 million was down 58%. It went on to gross about $101.3 million in domestic theaters.
"It's actually a better drop than expected considering where we opened," Miramax Senior Vice President, Marketing, David Kaminow said Sunday morning. "Looking at 'Scream 2,' after 10 days, we were at $55 million. On 'Scream 3' after 10 days, we're at $57 million. So we're on a good track and feel good about that."
Directed by Wes Craven, "Scream 3" was produced by Cathy Konrad, Kevin Williamson and Marianne Maddalena. It reunites Craven with David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox Arquette and Liev Schreiber. Also starring are Patrick Dempsey, Scott Foley, Matt Keeslar, Jenny McCarthy, Emily Mortimer, Parker Posey, Deon Richmond, Kelly Rutherford and Patrick Warburton.
Twentieth Century Fox's launch of its R-rated adventure drama "The Beach" washed ashore in second place with a high tide estimated $15 million at 2,546 theaters ($5,891 per theater).
Its per-theater average was the highest for any film in wide release last weekend.
Directed by Danny Boyle, "The Beach" stars DiCaprio and Virginie Ledoyen.
"It's good," Tom Sherak, 20th Domestic Film Group chairman and senior executive vice president of Fox Filmed Entertainment, said Sunday morning. "The audience was about 57% female and 43% male. Fifty-five percent of the audience was 18-25.
Everybody seems to be thrilled about it. No question, they came to see (DiCaprio) -- the biggest reason to go to the movie (according to exit polls). And young girls liked it the best.
"Everybody's happy (about it at Fox). Some people have asked me (about) it's not being No. 1. Well, when a movie does $34 million in its first week, (a film opening the next week) is not going to be No. 1. No. 1 is a wonderful thing, but it's not the wherewithal for a movie. There have been so many movies that haven't been No. 1 that have gone on to do a lot of business. Hopefully, this will be one of them."
Paramount and Nickelodeon Movies' PG-rated comedy "Snow Day" opened in third place to a blizzard of ticket sales with an estimated $14.80 million at 2,664 theaters ($5,556 per theater).
"Snow Day" is directed by Chris Koch and stars Chevy Chase.
"I think it's phenomenal," Paramount Distribution President Wayne Lewellen said Sunday morning. "It's way beyond where we thought it could get. I thought, maybe, $12 million would be our top simply because 'Tigger' was in the marketplace at the same time. And, really, nothing had ever done this kind (of business) -- you're talking $23-25 million between the two pictures."
There were differences between the two family films' audiences. "Snow," Lewellen said, was "a little bit older. Their picture, based on the research, really stopped at about 6 years old, and we could get to, like, 12- and 13-year-olds. Obviously, their being in the market affected us because they took some of the younger kids who were going to our film. But for the two pictures to do this level of business is just phenomenal."
Lewellen added that the marketplace expanded with two new family films opening: "I think, maybe, the two pictures had a synergy getting the people out. The younger people like to go see both movies.
Fourth place went to Disney's kickoff of its G-rated animated "The Tigger Movie" with a bouncy estimated $9.21 million at 2,723 theaters ($3,382 per theater). The film is the animated adventures of the familiar "Winnie the Pooh" character.
"I'm so happy," Buena Vista Distribution President Chuck Viane said Sunday morning. "Based on everything that we felt, this is really at the upper end of the opening weekend projection. Next Monday is a holiday, and what historically happens is that whatever you do in the three days of this weekend you come right back and do in the four days of next weekend. When the end of the year rolls around, this movie will probably rank up there with some of the most profitable. Everything was done the right way, and it is going to be extremely profitable.
"What a wonderful weekend for general audience movies. 'Snow Day' did wonderfully. We did wonderfully. And, yet, if you look inside the numbers, we don't compete with each other. We're younger and a tad more female. We're 56% female. I'm sure if you looked inside 'Snow Day's' numbers, they'd be a little heavier male than female. We're really complementary to the marketplace."
Rounding out the Top Five was Universal's R-rated Oscar contender "The Hurricane," down three slots in its seventh week but still holding well with an estimated $3.61 million (-27%) at 2,078 theaters (-70 theaters, $1,735 per theater). Its total is approximately $42.4 million.
Directed by Norman Jewison, it stars recent Golden Globe winner Denzel Washington as wrongly imprisoned boxing champion Rubin "Hurricane" Carter.
Warner Bros. and Castle Rock Entertainment's R-rated death row drama "The Green Mile" held on to sixth place in its 10th week with a still OK estimated $3.04 million (-24%) at 2,012 theaters (-323 theaters, $1,513 per theater). Its total is approximately $124.4 million, heading for $140 million in domestic theaters.
Written and directed by Frank Darabont, it stars Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan.
New Line's R-rated urban-appeal hit comedy sequel "Next Friday" dropped three slots to seventh place in its fifth week with a still respectable estimated $2.82 million (-34%) at 1,364 theaters (-56 theaters, $2,071 per theater). Its total is approximately $49.4 million.
Directed by Steve Carr, it was written by, stars and was produced by Ice Cube.
Columbia's PG-rated family comedy "Stuart Little" finished eighth, down five pegs in its ninth week in the face of competition from two new family-appeal films with a less exciting estimated $2.70 million (-43%) at 2,351 theaters (-351 theaters, $1,148 per theater). Its total is approximately $132 million, heading for $140 million or more in domestic theaters.
Directed by Rob Minkoff, it stars Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie and Jonathan Lipnicki.
"It's been having its own way for many weeks," Sony Pictures Releasing President Jeff Blake said Sunday morning. "There's no question, both (new family) pictures gave us a hit. But we think we'll hang on, certainly past the $140 million mark and, I think, we'll get to the mid-$140 millions. We're still in 2,351 runs and although we'll lose some, there's a lot of interest in continuing to play this picture, especially over the holiday weekend coming up."
Looking ahead to the Oscar nominations Tuesday morning, Blake said, "It will be interesting to see what impact the Academy Award nominations have. Certainly, only the No. 5 and 6 pictures this week out of the Top Ten are interested in that result plus the re-release of 'American Beauty.' It certainly seems like the top four plus (the two films opening next weekend) 'Hanging Up' and 'The Whole Nine Yards' are all going to be pretty hard to get by.
"It does not look like the rewards are going to be immediate (for films with Oscar nominations) because it does look like kids and, hopefully, the women for us on 'Hanging Up' will rule things (next weekend). As I say, I think it's not necessarily going to be the Academy weekend next weekend. It looks like a lot of very entertaining (new or very recent) pi tures will probably be on top."
Blake said that "Hanging Up" will open at about 2,500 theaters. Directed by Diane Keaton, the PG-13-rated comedy stars Meg Ryan, Diane Keaton, Lisa Kudrow and Walter Matthau.
DreamWorks' PG-rated sci-fi fantasy comedy "Galaxy Quest" was ninth, down two notches in its eighth week with a less exciting estimated $2.20 million (-34%) at 1,589 theaters (-350 theaters, $1,385 per theater). Its total is approximately $65.8 million, heading for about $70 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Dean Parisot, it stars Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman.
Rounding out the Top Ten was Destination Films' R-rated psychological thriller "Eye Of the Beholder," down five rungs in its third week with a quiet estimated $2.11 million (-49%) at 1,583 theaters (-168, $1,331 per theater). Its total is approximately $15.1 million.
Directed by Stephan Elliott, it stars Ewan McGregor and Ashley Judd. Destination reportedly picked up the independently made film for domestic release for about $4 million.
OTHER OPENINGS
Last weekend saw the arrival of no other noteworthy openings.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
Last weekend saw Warner Bros. hold national sneak previews Saturday night of Morgan Creek and Franchise Pictures' R-rated comedy "The Whole Nine Yards."
Directed by Jonathan Lynn, it stars Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry. It was written by Mitchell Kapner, produced by David Willis and Allan Kaufman and executive produced by Elie Samaha and Andrew Stevens.
"We had over 800 sneaks and polled more than half (of them)," Warner Bros. distribution executive Jeff Goldstein said Sunday morning. "Of the theaters we polled, the reaction (was) 98% between good and excellent. On the capacity side, 95% were between 75% and 100% capacity. Those two pieces of information tell the whole story -- we had really good sneaks."
"Yards" opens Friday at more than 2,800 theaters.
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front, last weekend saw Buena Vista/Touchstone expand its R-rated Oscar contender thriller "The Sixth Sense" in its 28th week to be in the marketplace when Academy nominations are announced Tuesday morning. "Sense" placed 18th with a quiet estimated $1.04 million at 831 theaters (+611 theaters, $1,254 per theater). Its total is approximately $279.5 million.
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, it stars Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment.
USA Films R-rated drama "Topsy-Turvy" went wider in its eighth week, placing 20th with a quiet estimated $0.72 million at 223 theaters (+93 theaters, $3,240 per theater). Its total is approximately $3.2 million.
Written and directed by Mike Leigh, it stars Jim Broadbent and Allan Corduner.
Fox Searchlight Pictures' R-rated drama "Titus" went a bit wider in its eighth week, placing 32nd with an OK estimated $0.11 million at 19 theaters (+2 theaters, $5,815 per theater). Its total is approximately $1 million.
Directed by Julie Taymor, it stars Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange and Allan Cumming.
USA Films' reissue of the PG-rated suspense/cop drama "Rear Window" widened slightly in its fourth week, placing 33rd with an OK estimated $0.10 million at 17 theaters (+2 theaters, $5,790 per theater). Its total is approximately $0.4 million.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, it stars Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly. Robert Harris and James Katz restored the 1954 film classic.
Fine Line Features' G-rated Oscar contender for Best Foreign Language Film, "The Cup," widened in its third week, placing 34th with an OK estimated $0.064 million at 12 theaters (+8 theaters, $5,330 per theater). Its total is approximately $0.2 million.
Directed by Khyentse Norbu, it is the story of attempts to hook up a satellite dish at a Tibetan monastery so its soccer fan monks can watch the 1998 World Cup matches.
Warner Bros. R-rated comedy "The Big Tease" expanded in its third week, placing 36th place with a quiet estimated $0.030 million at 10 theaters (+6 theaters, $2,855 per theater). Its total is approximately $0.1 million.
Directed by Kevin Allen, it stars Craig Ferguson and Frances Fisher.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 for the weekend - took in approximately $84.17 million. Comparisons cannot be made to last year when the comparable weekend was the four-day Presidents Day holiday weekend.
This year, the four-day Presidents Day weekend is one week later (Feb. 18-21). This weekend's key film gross was down about 1.19% compared with the previous weekend when key films grossed $85.18 million.
Last year, Warner Bros.' opening week of "Message In A Bottle" was first with $18.85 million for four days at 2,538 theaters ($7,428 per theater) and Paramount's second week of "Payback" was second with $17.72 million at 2,751 theaters ($6,441 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $36.6 million for four days. This year, the top two films grossed an estimated $31.4 million for three days.
STUDIO MARKET SHARES
Based on business by key films, last weekend's top six distributors were the following:
Miramax (Miramax, Dimension) was first with three films ("Scream 3," "Down To You" and "The Cider House Rules") grossing an estimated $19.5 million or 23.2% of the market.
Paramount was second with three films ("Snow Day," "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and "Angela's Ashes") grossing an estimated $17.66 million or 21% of the market.
Twentieth Century Fox was third with one film ("The Beach") grossing an estimated $15 million or 17.8% of the market.
Buena Vista (Touchstone and Disney) was fourth with three films ("The Tigger Movie," "Toy Story 2" and "Fantasia 2000") grossing an estimated $12 million or 14.3% of the market.
Sony Pictures Entertainment (Columbia, TriStar) was fifth with three films ("Stuart Little," "Girl, Interrupted" and "The End Of the Affair") grossing an estimated $4.75 million or 5.6% of the market.
Warner Bros. was sixth with two films ("The Green Mile" and "Any Given Sunday") grossing an estimated $3.76 million or 4.5% of the market.
ADDITIONAL ESTIMATES
(11) "Fantasia 2000"/BV/Disney: Theaters: 54 (0) (all IMAX in U.S.) Gross: $1.80 million (-6%) Average per theater: $33,333 Total: $27.4 million (worldwide)
(12) "The Talented Mr. Ripley"/Paramount/Miramax: Theaters: 1,266 (-563) Gross: $1.76 million (-29%) Average per theater: $1,390 Total: $78 million
(13) "The Cider House Rules"/Miramax: Theaters: 802 (-32) Gross: $1.60 million (-17%) Average per theater: $1,995 Total: $22.7 million
(14) "Down to You"/Miramax: Theaters: 1,719 (-284) Gross: $1.50 million (-45%) Average per theater: $872 Total: $18.5 million
(15) Girl, Interrupted/Columbia: Theaters: 1,380 (-483) Gross: $1.35 million (-47%) Average per theater: $978 Total: $27 million
(16) "Angela's Ashes"/Paramount: Theaters: 614 (0) Gross: $1.10 million (-28%) (tie) Average per theater: $1,792 Total: $10.2 million
(16) "Toy Story 2"/BV/Disney: Theaters: 1,249 (-339) Gross: $1.10 million (-53%) (tie) Average per theater: $816 Total: $238.6 million
(18) "The Sixth Sense"/BV/Touchstone: (see EXPANSIONS above)
(19) "Magnolia"/New Line: Theaters: 497 (-332) Gross: $0.85 million (-34%) Average per theater: $1,710 Total: $20.5 million
(20) "Topsy-Turvy"/USA Films: (see EXPANSIONS above)
21) "Any Given Sunday"/Warner Bros.: Theaters: 1,031 (-526) Gross: $0.72 million (-30%) Average per theater: $695 Total: $74.8 million
(22) "The End of the Affair"/Columbia: Theaters: 585 (-96) Gross: $0.70 million (-34%) Average per theater: $1,197 Total: $9.5 million
(23) "The World Is Not Enough"/MGM: Theaters: 768 (-74) Gross: $0.45 m illion (-30%) Average per theater: $590 Total: $125.8 million
(24) "Snow Falling on Cedars"/Universal: Theaters: 504 (-296) Gross: $0.40 million (-45%) Average per theater: $800 Total: $13.5 million
(25) "Gun Shy"/BV/Hollywood: Theaters: 296 (0) Gross: $0.37 million (-47%) Average per theater: $1,256 Total: $1.3 million
(26) "Being John Malkovich"/USA Films: Theaters: 173 (-34) Gross: $0.25 million (-21%) Average per theater: $1,440 Total: $21.6 million
(27) "Isn't She Great"/Universal: Theaters: 369 (-381) Gross: $0.20 million (-69%) Average per theater: $545 Total: $2.9 million
(28) "End of Days"/Universal: Theaters: 276 (-67) Gross: $0.17 million (-19%) Average per theater: $620 Total: $66.4 million
(29) "The Bone Collector"/Universal: Theaters: 294 (-35) Gross: $0.17 million (-20%) Average per theater: $580 Total: $66.0 million
(30) "Simpatico"/Fine Line: Theaters: 222 (-34) Gross: $0.16 million (-65%) Average per theater: $718 Total: $0.9 million
(31) "Man on the Moon"/Universal: Theaters: 322 (-161) Gross: $0.15 million (-42%) Average per theater: $450 Total: $34.4 million
(32) "Titus"/Fox Searchlight: (see EXPANSIONS above)
(33) "Rear Window"/USA: (see EXPANSIONS above)
(34) "The Cup"/Fine Line: (see EXPANSIONS above)
(35) "My Dog Skip"/Warner Bros. Theaters: 29 (-1) Gross: $0.060 million (-47%) Average per theater: $2,075 Total: $0.5 million
(36) "The Big Tease"/Warner Bros. (see EXPANSIONS above)

Will Will Truman get lucky? Will Chandler and Monica tie the knot? Will Dawson and Pacey make up? And what's up with "Popular"?!
Those are some of the questions that have been posed and that will be answered during the fall season of television.
Herein is a critique of the fall seasons of 10 TV series that Hollywood.com staffers watch on a weekly basis:
"Will &amp; Grace," NBC, Thursdays, 9 p.m. ET
Is "Will &amp; Grace," the as-of-late-sometimes-hilarious sitcom about a gay man named Will Truman (Eric McCormack, who looks tan and really sexy this season), his best gay friend Jack McFarland (the always funny, over the top Emmy winner Sean Hayes), his best female friend Grace Adler (Debra Messing), and her lush of a socialite "employee" Karen Walker (Emmy winner Megan Mullally), falling from, er, grace this season? "Will &amp; Grace" sadly has been spotty since its Emmy win for Best Comedy. McCormack has said that Will will date this season and have a number of boyfriends. The guest spot a few weeks back by Patrick Dempsey as one of those alleged future boyfriends was funny, and the exchange among Dempsey, McCormack and Hayes in Banana Republic (dancer-actor-singer-choreographer Jack is now a Banana Republic sales associate, headphones and all) was witty and pretty and ... well, you know. But last week's much-hyped guest spot by Cher was totally disappointing. The writing was weak for most of the episode, guest star Camryn Manheim was wasted and Cher appeared in only the last few minutes. What we needed was a half hour of "Jack &amp; Cher." Here's hoping that Will hooks up with Mr. Banana Republic. Life is about the Banana, after all. Go, girlfriend. Grade: B-
"Friends," NBC, Thursdays, 8 p.m. ET
Some shows grind to a halt after two characters get together, but the pairing of Monica (Courteney Cox Arquette) and Chandler (Matthew Perry), who are set to wed this season, has created more hijinks than ever. They have created the funniest storylines of the season: Monica consults an elaborate wedding binder she's been keeping since 4th grade, only to find out that her parents spent her wedding fund on a beach house. Chandler keeps having embarrassing moments with his future father-in-law (Elliott Gould) and finds that he can't smile in photographs. Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) compete for maid of honor (Phoebe wins, but lets Rachel do it because it means more to her). Meanwhile, the non-wedding-related storylines have fallen to the wayside: Rachel has hired a cute younger assistant she can't date; Joey's pilot gets canceled, and Phoebe just found out that her grandmother's secret cookie recipe is from Nestle Tollhouse. Ross (David Schwimmer), other than a memory-lane kiss with Rachel, is so far unlucky in love. But, in the funniest episode of the season, he finds an unlikely snuggling partner in Joey when the two accidentally nap together -- and like it. Grade: B+
"The West Wing," NBC, Wednesdays, 9 p.m. ET
This Emmy winner started its second season with a bang -- quite literally. After the cliffhanger from the end of the first season, wherein President Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) were shot, the two-hour opener took viewers from the present to the past. The episode cleverly gave the audience the background of why Bartlet first got on the campaign trail and showed how his extraordinary staff was assembled, all while juxtaposed with the assassination crisis. And the show doesn't seem to be stopping, creating scenarios that mirror the current social and political climate -- including some controversial racial conflict. The cast is still outstanding -- including Emmy winners Allison Janney as Press Secretary C.J. Cregg and Richard Schiff as Communications Director Toby Ziegler. Guest spots by the likes of Timothy Busfield and John Laroquette added heart and intensity to the behind-the-scenes storylines. But the heart of the show remains Sheen as the wise and truthful President Bartlet, and given the current real-life situation in the political world, Bartlet would be considered a godsend. Grade: A
"Everybody Loves Raymond," CBS, Mondays, 9 p.m. ET
Though "Everybody Loves Raymond" does not tend to build upon storylines episode to episode, it has shown some resourcefulness this season. Bringing in guest stars such as Robert Culp as Debra Barone's (Emmy winner Patricia Heaton) dad was a nice touch, especially when it led to a hilarious dispute between in-laws. But the show has been quite hit-or-miss lately. Ray (Ray Romano) developing a fear of germs, for example -- interesting but not funny, especially for a character who already has three young children. Just a breakdown of logic there. Ray's brother Robert, the divorced cop (played with deadpan precision by Brad Garrett), has also been curiously underused thus far. Grade: B-
"ER," NBC, Thursdays, 10 p.m. ET
The best thing America's top drama -- for the past six seasons -- has done so far is not add any new characters. Drs. Greene and Corday (Anthony Edwards and Alex Kingston) have gotten engaged; Dr. Kovac (the very hunky Goran Visjnic) is feeling guilt over a guy he accidentally killed during a mugging; and Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle) is back from rehab and peeing in a cup whenever he's asked. Dr. Chen (Ming-Na) is pregnant by a doctor at another hospital; Dr. Benton (Eriq LaSalle) lost his surgical attending position and is now "demoted" to an ER post; and there are hints that Dr. Weaver (Laura Innes) is mulling a lesbian relationship. Oh yes, and they treat people, too. The strongest episodes are still the medical-oriented cases, especially the 22-week-old "miracle baby" who survived nearly an entire day. Medical student/nurse Abby Lockhart (Maura Tierney) is emerging as the emotional core, letting us miss Sherry Stringfield and Julianna Margulies a little less. What's left to do is to use more of Michael Michele, who plays pediatric resident Dr. Cleo Finch. "ER" is not consistently great, but it still keeps our pulses pounding. Grade: B
"Dawson's Creek," WB, Wednesdays, 8 p.m. ET
Last year ended with Joey (Katie Holmes) sailing into the sunset with Pacey (Joshua Jackson), leaving her best friend/soul mate Dawson (James Van Der Beek) weeping and alone. It's a good choice because Holmes and Jackson have decidedly better chemistry, and although they dispense the same amount of SAT-filled sentences (meanwhile Pacey is flunking school) as Joey and Dawson, this new couple have snappier arguments/flirtations. This season: Joey's repairing her friendship with Dawson, who's trying to move on by taking pictures and finding a new confidante in Pacey's older sister (Sasha Alexander), particularly after his parents discover that they're having another baby. Pacey and Dawson take (very small) steps toward reconciliation after the former's boat is swept into a storm and the latter risks his neck to save him. Jen (Michelle Williams) is temporarily ostracized from the group -- and from best friend Jack (Kerr Smith) -- when she lets the already medicated Andie (Meredith Monroe) try Ecstasy at a rave, causing her to collapse and nearly die. But it's Andie who gives the fractured group a chance to heal again when she announces that she's leaving Capeside to spend the rest of the year in Italy (she already got into Harvard early, dontcha know). In her tearjerking farewell, she implores her friends to make up, and it looks as if they will. Grade: B+
"Frasier," NBC, Tuesdays, 9 p.m. ET
In the early '90s -- in its third season -- "Seinfeld" began to structure its episodes around the supporting characters, not the title character. Suddenly, the same seems true about "Frasier." While the love affair between Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and Daphne (Jane Leeves) seemed to be the hook to get viewers back into the show early this fall, it remained the hook throughout most of the season. And it worked. Their relationship has spawned a number of morose storylines thus far, with ex-wives and ex-fiancees plotting against the likable couple, but Frasier himself seems to have been pushed aside, stuck with adequate conflicts such as his displeasure with his wealthy new boss. But it still works. And Niles pretending to still be married in social circles is surprisingly hilarious each time. Grade: B+
"Spin City," ABC, Wednesdays, 9 p.m. ET
No, you can't blame Charlie Sheen alone for "Spin City's" decline in popularity. It really comes down to the writing. Only one episode of "Spin City" this fall has been impressive -- the one where Sheen and Heather Locklear lock horns on the set of "Live With Regis" -- but little else has proven to be much of a surprise. Sure, Sheen's character, the deputy mayor of New York, is narcissistic, and yes, he has a tainted history with drugs, but didn't we already expect that? It's not Sheen's fault that this sort of cliched writing took place. It's not Locklear's fault that she has little chemistry with him. And it's not the viewers' fault for wanting to change the channel - even though it means the certain demise of one of their previously most beloved shows. We miss ya, Mike. Grade: C-
"Popular," WB, Fridays, 9 p.m. ET
The WB's "Popular" is one of the most underrated and funniest shows on television. It's sad that it's been relegated to a Friday night spot. The show boasts a fabulous ensemble cast of pretty people vs. Everyday people, although the two sides have been mingling more and more. School stud turned social pariah Josh Ford (Bryce Johnson) has hooked up with tree-hugger Lily Esposito (Tamara Mello) after the pair rescued a gay chimpanzee from the L.A. Zoo. It's a lame pairing, but player-player Josh has already hooked up with the rest of the ladies on the show, so I guess Lil' Lily was next. Alarming this season: Instead of funny gags such as kidnapping Gwyneth Paltrow's personal shopper and competing ruthlessly for Homecoming Queen, "Popular" has turned to Very Special Episodes. Harrison John (Christopher Gorham) is battling leukemia, Nicole Julian (Tammy Lynn Michaels) has cried ... twice(!) ... over her fall from popularity, Carmen Ferrera's (Sara Rue) mother is an alcoholic, and both reigning Homecoming Queen Brooke McQueen (Leslie Bibb) and Mike "Sugar Daddy" Bernadino are battling eating disorders. Not very funny stuff. This season has been more about tears over sadness and struggles rather than laughter. As Mary Cherry (the always hilarious Leslie Grossman) would say, let's get some laughs back, hon. And pronto! Grade: B-
"Ally McBeal," Fox, Mondays, 9 p.m. ET
After a disappointing third season, David E. Kelley's series was in need of some serious spice. Kelley tried everything to raise ratings, from a lesbian lip-lock to some full-blown musical mishmash, but nothing could save the sinking show. In a final act of desperation, Kelley brought in a fresh-from-the-cell Robert Downey Jr. Little did Kelley know that the criminal element would bring such critical success this fall. As a cute, clever attorney named Larry, Downey's straight but sarcastic delivery is the perfect foil for Ally's (Calista Flockhart) high-strung hysteria. He steals every scene with his flawless timing, then punctuates even the simplest sentence with that trademark sexy smirk. Downey may have been sent in to rekindle the spark, but his presence has set the show on fire and made "Ally McBeal" a must-see on Monday nights again. Grade: B+
Reviews by Jason Alcorn, Kit Bowen, Tracey Pollack, Ellen A. Kim and Don Chareunsy.

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 6, 2000 -- The only loud noise at this weekend's box office was Dimension Films' "Scream 3," opening to a blockbuster estimated $35.20 million.
"Scream 3" accounted for about 42% of the ticket sales for key films over the weekend, living up to industry expectations reported by Hollywood.com on Friday. With its first-choice tracking score of 31% going into the weekend, the Wes Craven film was seen as likely to open to at least $30 million.
Dimension, Miramax's genre label, launched "Scream 3" to an estimated $35.20 million at 3,467 theaters ($10,152 per theater). The film's theater count set a new record for wide release, topping last summer's 3,342 theaters for Warner Bros.' "Wild Wild West." Dimension said there were 5,522 prints of the film in the marketplace.
An indication of how little business everything else in the marketplace did is that "Scream 3's" gross was about equal to the combined gross for the next 11 films on the chart.
"This is the biggest opening for Miramax and/or Dimension in the history of the company," Miramax Senior Vice President, Marketing, David Kaminow said Sunday morning. "It's the biggest February opening ever, and it actually looks like the biggest opening for any movie between January through April."
The previous record-holder was Universal's Jim Carrey starrer 'Liar Liar' at $31.4 million back in March 1997.
Who went to see the "Scream 3"?
"In terms of audience demo, it's our core 18-24," Kaminow said. "But what's interesting is the slight demographic shift in terms of the people who were 18-24 when the first movie came out four years ago (and) have followed us on the path, so we have a segment (of the audience) that's also a little higher in the 25-29 bracket than we've seen previously.
"It indicates to us that the audience has grown as the movie's grown."
Asked where it could wind up in terms of its domestic theatrical gross, Kaminow replied, "The first two did (over) $100 million. It would be wonderful if it did. This is a great start, and we'll see what happens."
"Scream 3's" per-theater average was the highest for any film playing in wide or limited release last weekend.
Directed by Wes Craven, "Scream 3" was produced by Cathy Konrad, Kevin Williamson and Marianne Maddalena. Its screenplay by Ehren Kruger is based on characters created by Williamson. It was executive produced by Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Cary Granat and Andrew Rona.
The film reunites Craven with David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox Arquette and Liev Schreiber. Also starring are Patrick Dempsey, Scott Foley, Matt Keeslar, Jenny McCarthy, Emily Mortimer, Parker Posey, Deon Richmond, Kelly Rutherford and Patrick Warburton.
"Scream 2" opened in first place the weekend of Dec. 12-14, 1997, to $32.9 million at 2,663 theatres ($12,354 per theater). Its second weekend gross was $13.9 million, down 58%. It went on to gross about $101.3 million in domestic theaters.
The first "Scream" opened in fourth place the weekend of Dec. 20-22, 1996, to $6.4 million at 1,413 theaters ($4,497 per theater). It wound up grossing about $103 million in domestic theaters.
It was a long way down to second place, where Universal's R-rated, critically acclaimed Oscar contender "The Hurricane" was holding well, up one notch in its sixth week with a solid estimated $4.91 million (-14%) at 2,148 theaters (+13 theatres, $2,285 per theater). Its total is approximately $37.5 million.
Directed by Norman Jewison, it stars Denzel Washington as wrongly imprisoned boxing champion Rubin "Hurricane" Carter.
"The word of mouth is exceptional on this film," Universal Distribution President Nikki Rocco said Sunday morning. "We were No. 3 for two weekends. Now we're No. 2.
"Granted, it's a soft marketplace except for one film, but the word of mouth does that with a picture. It will linger and linger around through the Academy Awards season."
Columbia's PG-rated family comedy "Stuart Little" finished third, up one peg in its eighth week, continuing to hold strongly with an OK estimated $4.80 million (unchanged) at 2,702 theaters (-339 theaters, $1,776 per theater). Its total is approximately $128.7 million, heading for $140 million or more in domestic theaters.
Directed by Rob Minkoff, it stars Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie and Jonathan Lipnicki.
"I'd say at least $140 million," Sony Pictures Releasing President Jeff Blake said Sunday morning, when asked where the film would wind up in domestic theaters. "For the first time, we're going to have some company in the kids' market next Friday (with BV/Disney's animated "The Tigger Movie" and Paramount and Nickelodeon Movies' PG-rated live action Chevy Chase comedy "Snow Day"), so it will be interesting to see how we hold up.
"Starting out on Dec. 17, at the point when 'Toy Story 2' was still strong, we managed to beat them. We sort of had our own way with the kids between Dec. 17 and today. It will be interesting to see what happens when (the two new family-appeal films arrive Friday). I think, probably, what will happen is they'll do very well, but we'll continue to play out our run. I can't see it being any less than $140 million -- maybe into the $140 millions. A lovely success story."
The film is also looking strong on the international front.
"The best news for us is every market we've opened internationally has been sensational," Blake said. "So we really are hoping to even do better internationally. The real number on this one will probably be about $300 million worldwide, which is very exciting."
New Line's R-rated urban-appeal hit comedy sequel "Next Friday" fell two rungs to fourth place in its fourth week with a still decent estimated $4.28 million (-25%) at 1,420 theaters (+85 theaters, $3,011 per theater). Its total is approximately $45.5 million.
Directed by Steve Carr, it was written by, stars and was produced by Ice Cube.
There was a close race for fifth place between Destination Films' R-rated psychological thriller "Eye Of the Beholder" and Warner Bros. and Castle Rock Entertainment's R-rated death-row drama "The Green Mile."
As was the case last week when "Eye" opened, Destination did not report an estimated gross by mid-morning Sunday, making it difficult to calculate which film would take fifth place. Other studios estimated Destination's gross at $3.89 million to $4.1 million.
"Eye," which placed first last week, would need about $4.1 million to finish in fifth place in its second week. That would represent a very discouraging drop of about 30% at 1,751 theaters (theater count unchanged, $2,342 per theater). Its total is approximately $11.9 million.
Directed by Stephan Elliott, it stars Ewan McGregor and Ashley Judd. Destination reportedly picked up the independently made film for domestic release for about $4 million.
In contrast, "The Green Mile," which was fifth last week, is a blockbuster success in its ninth week, holding very well with an estimated $4.02 million (unchanged) at 2,335 theaters (-36 theaters, $1,719 per theater). Its total is approximately $120.4 million, heading for $140 million in domestic theaters.
Written and directed by Frank Darabont, it stars Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan.
"We've been tracking it from day one against 'A Few Good Men,'" Warner Bros. Distribution President Dan Fellman said Sunday morning. "'A Few Good Men' after this exact weekend (in its run) had $119.8 million. They ended up at $141 million. We're definitely getting close (in terms of projected domestic theatrical total) to $140 million now.
"I raised my estimate last week to $136 million. I'm going to pop it again to about $140 million. It has great legs. You see what happens to it every week."
DreamWorks' PG-rated sci-fi fantasy comedy "Galaxy Quest" continued in seventh place in its seventh week, holding nicely with an estimated $3.30 million (-3%) at 1,939 theaters (-270 theaters, $1,702 per theater). Its total is approximately $62.9 million, heading for $70 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Dean Parisot, it stars Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman.
Miramax's PG-13-rated teen-appeal romantic comedy "Down To You" fell two pegs to eighth place in its third week with a dull estimated $2.90 million (-28%) at 2,003 theaters (+26 theaters, $1,447 per theater). Its total is approximately $16.8 million.
Written and directed by Kris Isacsson, it stars Freddie Prinze Jr. and Julia Stiles.
Columbia's R-rated drama "Girl, Interrupted" slipped one post to ninth in its seventh week with a slower estimated $2.60 million (-20%) at 1,863 theaters (-72 theaters, $1,396 per theater). Its total is approximately $25 million.
Directed by James Mangold, "Girl" stars Winona Ryder and recent Golden Globe winner Angelina Jolie.
Rounding out the Top Ten was Paramount's R-rated drama "The Talented Mr. Ripley," down one peg in its seventh week with a calm estimated $2.50 million (-10%) at 1,819 theaters (-323 theaters, $1,350 per theater). Its total is approximately $75.6 million, heading for about $80 million in domestic theaters.
Written and directed by Anthony Minghella, it stars Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law and Cate Blanchett.
OTHER OPENINGS
Last weekend also saw the arrival of Buena Vista/Hollywood's R-rated black comedy adventure "Gun Shy," placing 22nd with a discouraging estimated $0.70 million at 296 theaters ($2,367 per theater).
Written and directed by Eric Blakeney, it stars Liam Neeson, Oliver Platt and Sandra Bullock.
Fine Line Features' R-rated suspense/dark comedy "Simpatico" kicked off in 28th place to a soft estimated $0.43 million at 256 theatres ($1,680 per theater).
Based on a play by Sam Shepard, it was directed by Matthew Warchus and stars Nick Nolte, Jeff Bridges, Sharon Stone, Catherine Keener and Albert Finney.
The PG-13 boxing drama "Knockout," a CEO release, arrived in 34th place and was knocked flat on its face with an estimated $0.072 million at 110 theaters ($655 per theater).
Directed by Lorenzo Doumani, it stars Sophia-Adella Hernandez.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
Last weekend saw no national sneak previews.
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front, last weekend saw USA Films R-rated drama and critics' darling "Topsy-Turvy" go wider in its eighth week, placing 21st with a quiet estimated $0.69 million at 130 theaters (+59 theaters, $5,285 per theater). Its total is approximately $2.3 million.
Written and directed by Mike Leigh, it stars Jim Broadbent and Allan Corduner.
USA Films' reissue of the PG-rated suspense drama "Rear Window" expanded in its third week, placing 36th with an OK estimated $0.063 million at 14 theaters (+11 theaters, $4,475 per theater). Its total is approximately $0.2 million.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, it stars James Stewart and Grace Kelly. Robert Harris and James Katz restored the 1954 film classic.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 for the weekend - took in approximately $85.28 million, up about 13.21% from $75.33 million for the comparable weekend last year.
This weekend's key film gross was up about 40.85% compared with the previous weekend, when key films grossed $60.55 million.
Last year, Paramount's opening week of "Payback" was first with $21.22 million at 2,720 theaters ($7,802 per theater), and Miramax's second week of "She's All That" was second with $11.65 million at 2,629 theaters ($4,447 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $32.9 million. This year, the top two films grossed an estimated $40.1 million.
STUDIO MARKET SHARES
Based on business by key films, the weekend's top six distributors were the following:
Miramax (Miramax, Dimension) was first with three films ("Scream 3," "Down to You" and "The Cider House Rules") grossing an estimated $40.10 million or 47% of the market.
Sony Pictures Entertainment (Columbia, TriStar) was second with three films ("Stuart Little," "Girl, Interrupted" and "The End Of the Affair") grossing an estimated $8.50 million or 10% of the market.
Universal was third with three films ("Isn't She Great," "Snow Falling on Cedars" and "The Hurricane") grossing an estimated $6.24 million or 7.3% of the market.
Buena Vista (Touchstone and Disney) was fourth with five films ("Play it to the Bone," "Toy Story 2," "Fantasia 2000," "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo" and "Bicentennial Man") grossing an estimated $5.94 million or 7% of the market.
New Line was fifth with two films ("Next Friday" and "Magnolia") grossing an estimated $5.55 million or 6.5% of the market.
Warner Bros. was sixth with two films ("The Green Mile" and "Any Given Sunday") grossing an estimated $5 million or 5.9% of the market.
ADDITIONAL ESTIMATES
(11) "Toy Story 2"/BV/Disney: Theaters: 1,618 (-178) Gross: $2.20 million (-6%) Average per theater: $1,360 Total: $237 million
(12) "The Cider House Rules"/Miramax: Theaters: 834 (-9) Gross: $2 million (+14%) Average per theater: $2,398 Total: $20.7 million
(13) "Fantasia 2000"/BV/Disney: Theatres: 54 (0) (all IMAX in U.S.) Gross: $1.70 million (-8%) Average per theater: $31,481 Total: $24 million (worldwide)
(14) "Angela's Ashes"/Paramount: Theaters: 614 (+3) Gross: $1.55 million (-15%) Average per theater: $2,524 Total: $8.6 million
(15) "Magnolia"/New Line: Theaters: 829 (-257) Gross: $1.27 million (-20%) Average per theater: $1,535 Total: $19.3 million
(16) "The End of the Affair" Theaters: 681 (-7) Gross: $1.10 million (-6%) Average per theater: $1,615 Total: $8.5 million
(17) "Any Given Sunday"/Warner Bros.: Theaters: 1,557 (-455) Gross: $0.99 million (-31%) Average per theater: $633 Total: $73.8 million
(18) "Play it to the Bone/BV: Theaters: 1,249 (-339) Gross: $0.76 million (-55%) Average per theater: $610 Total: $7.7 million
(19) "Bicentennial Man"/BV: Theaters: 861 (-341) Gross: $0.75 million (-24%) Average per theater: $870 Total: $56.7 million
(20) "Snow Falling On Cedars"/Universal: Theaters: 800 (-200) Gross: $0.71 million (-21%) Average per theater: $890 Total: $12.8 million
(21) "Topsy-Turvy"/USA Films: (see EXPANSIONS above)
(22) GUN SHY/BV/Hollywood: (see OTHER OPENINGS above)
(23) "Supernova"/MGM: Theaters: 1,135 (-936) Gross: $0.66 million (-46%) Average per theater: $585 Total: $13.3 million (24) "Isn't She Great"/Universal: Theatres: 750 (0) Gross: $0.62 million (-55%) Average per theater: $820 Total: $2.4 million
(25) "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo"/BV: Theaters: 739 (-404) Gross: $0.53 million (-40%) Average per theater: $710 Total: $63 million
(26) "The World Is Not Enough"/MGM: Theaters: 842 (-15) Gross: $0.52 million (-7%) Average per theater: $620 Total: $125.1 million
(27) "Anna and the King"/Fox: Theaters: 568 (-182) Gross: $0.48 million (-19%) Average per theater: $845 Total: $37.6 million
(28) "Simpatico"/Fine Line: (see OTHER OPENINGS above)
(29) "Being John Malkovich"/USA Films: Theaters: 207 (-26) Gross: $0.31 million (no change) Average per theater: $1,505 Total: $21.1 million
(30) "Man On the Moon"/Universal: Theaters: 481 (-143) Gross: $0.24 million (-31%) Average per theater: $505 Total: $34.2 million
(31) "The Bone Collector"/Universal: Theaters: 325 (-7) Gross: $0.15 million (-23%) Average per theater: $465 Total: $65.7 million
(32) "End of Days"/Universal: Theaters: 343 (+5) Gross: $0.15 million (-20%) Average per theat er: $440 Total: $66 million
(33) "Titus"/Fox Searchlight: Theaters: 17 (-1) Gross: $0.11 million (-20%) Average per theater: $6,653 Total: $0.8 million
(34) "My Dog Skip"/Warner Bros. Theatres: 30 (0) Gross: $0.11 million (-3%) Average per theater: $3,595 Total: $0.4 million
(35) "Knockout"/CEA: (see OTHER OPENINGS above) (
36) "Rear Window" /USA: (see EXPANSIONS above)
(37) "The Cup"/Fine Line: Theaters: 4 (0) Gross: $0.031 million (-13%) Average per theater: $7,673 Total: $0.083 million
(38) "The Big Tease"/Warner Bros. Theaters: 4 (0) Gross: $0.019 million (-35%) Average per theater: $4,723 Total: $0.059 million